The present invention relates to a consumption information management apparatus, an image formation apparatus, and a consumption information management system. More particularly, this invention relates to the consumption information management apparatus that manages consumption information for consumable items (supplies) such as paper and developer used in copiers, facsimiles, or printers and for a communication fee or the like, and the image formation apparatus provided with the consumption information management apparatus. This invention also relates to the consumption information management system that charges a user for the consumed supplies and a maintenance fee of the image formation apparatus.
In recent years, a substantial use period of purchased products of various types has been shortened in association with acceleration of technological innovation. Therefore, users tend to use products always with the latest functions by lease or rental rather than purchase of such products whose use cycles are substantially short.
On the other hand, in order to cope with such situations, businesses providing products to users by lease or rental are increasing. Under such circumstances, the image forming devices such as the copiers, facsimiles, or the printers are thought to be provided increasingly to the users by lease or rental.
As for the image forming device based on rental, the user returns a device, which has been used up to that time, to the rental source and at the same time rents a new device in order to always use the device provided with the latest functions by making use of merits of the lease system or rental system.
However, in the conventional rental system of the image forming devices, supplies such as developer and paper are not included in a lease fee or a rental fee, so that the user purchases such supplies separately. Accordingly, when the user is to rent a new device, the supplies remaining inside the image forming device to be returned are also taken to the rental source although these supplies are not used by the user, which brings loss to the user. For example, when the supplies such as developer are supplied to the image forming device to be returned immediately before its return, almost all the supplied items are also taken to the rental source remaining unused.
In these types of image forming devices, properties of developer to be used are generally different from each other for each type of the image forming devices. Therefore, when the image forming device having been used up to that time is returned, there may occur such inconvenience that the developer purchased and stocked by the user as developer for this particular image forming device will be wasted.
Such disadvantages brought to the user in the rental system of the image forming device occur in both of monochrome image forming devices and color image forming devices, but the disadvantages are more significant particularly in the color image forming devices. That is, the color image forming device has developers of respective colors accommodated in a plurality of developer containers, and consumed quantities of the developers of the respective colors are different according to used situations by the user. Accordingly, possibility, such that this color image forming device has run out of the developers of the respective colors accommodated in the developer containers at the time of being returned, is extremely low as compared to that of the monochrome image forming device. Further, the color developers are generally used less frequently than the monochrome developer, but are more expensive.
Accordingly, when the color image forming device is returned, a large quantity of color developers not used frequently, in many cases, remains within the respective developer containers without being consumed. Therefore, when the image forming device is returned, there is a high possibility that the large quantity of developers remaining in the developer containers are also taken to the rental source. Therefore, the loss of the user becomes much larger as compared to that of the monochrome image forming device.
On the other hand, in recent years, it has been recognized, as an important matter, to recycle products and parts that have not yet reached the end of their lives considering the influence over the environments and resources due to disposal of various types of products. Based on such background, in the field of the image forming devices, when a user has purchased an image forming device and quits using it, it is thought to become common that its maker collects the image forming device and provide the device to recycling.
However, when the image forming device purchased and used by the user is provided to the maker as it is for its recycling, for the same reason as the case where the image forming device is rented, it is quite possible that disadvantages for the user may occur. That is, when the image forming device purchased and used by the user is to be collected by its maker, even if unused developer remains within the image forming device, this developer is also delivered to the maker together with the image forming device. If such a case occurs, the developer purchased by the user may be delivered to the maker remaining unused, which is wasteful for the user. This matter becomes more significant particularly in the color image forming device for the same reason as that of the rental image forming device.
Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-160452, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-84963, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19906, it is pointed out that a charging method based on the number of copies to be output, which has been conventionally performed in this type of image forming device, is unfair but charging based on the quantity of consumed toner is a fair and reasonable charging method. In such conventional technologies, a copying service charge is calculated based on the quantity of toner consumed through image formation. However, the point that the toner contained in the developer remaining within a developer container is resulted in charging to the user cannot be resolved by these technologies.
Conventionally, on the other hand, in order to maintain performance of the image forming device, the user may have paid for its maintenance, which is regularly performed, other than the expenses for purchase of the main body of the device or its rental fee. In such a case, as a running cost of the image forming device, the user is required to pay discretely for 1) a loan or a rental fee of the main body of the device, 2) a maintenance fee of the main body of the device, and 3) expenses for purchasing supplies such as developer. Therefore, the user has to manage complicated expenditures.
It is an object of this invention to provide a consumption information management apparatus capable of determining a charge for consumable items so that only supplies actually consumed for image formation are charged to the user, and an image formation apparatus provided with this consumption information management apparatus.
Another object of this invention is to provide a consumption information management system that charges the user of this image formation apparatus for any cost that is reasonable for the user.
According to one aspect of this invention, a consumption information acquisition unit acquires consumption information for the quantity of image visualizing agent consumed through image formation. A storage unit stores cumulative consumption information obtained by accumulating consumption information for an unadjusted quantity for the consumed quantity of image visualizing agent. The xe2x80x9cimage visualizing agentxe2x80x9d mentioned here refers to media used to form an image through development, which includes not only a medium to directly form a visible image but also media contributing to the formed image by such a medium. For example, this image visualizing agent includes powder toner, carrier, liquid developer, a solvent to dilute the liquid developer, ink, an ink absorbing agent, and an ink reacting agent, or the like. The xe2x80x9cconsumption informationxe2x80x9d mentioned here refers to such information as a consumed quantity of image visualizing agent and a charge for the image visualizing agent, that is, any information that a charge for the image visualizing agent used by the user can be calculated. A charge determination unit can determine only the cost for the image visualizing agent consumed by the user based on the cumulative consumption information obtained by accumulating consumption information for unadjusted image visualizing agent stored in the storage unit.
Based on this cumulative consumption information, it is possible to calculate a quantity of the image visualizing agent remaining within the image formation apparatus. That is, the image visualizing agent for replacement in this type of image formation apparatus is generally stored by a specified quantity in a dedicated image visualizing agent container such as a toner bottle, a bottle for developing liquid, or an ink tank according to the system of each image formation apparatus. Therefore, the total quantity of the image visualizing agent supplied to the image formation apparatus can be calculated based on the number of replacing times of the image visualizing agent containers. Accordingly, it is possible to calculate the quantity of image visualizing agent remaining within the image formation apparatus by calculating the total quantity of image visualizing agent having been consumed in the image formation apparatus based on the cumulative consumption information and subtracting this consumed total quantity of image visualizing agent from the total quantity of image visualizing agent supplied to the image formation apparatus.
Further, the consumption information acquisition unit acquires consumption information based on one of those information for an amount of energy consumed by a writing unit, for a light emitting time of an optical writing unit, for a driving time of a toner conveying unit, for the number of rotation of a screw, and for ink jetting (Details will be explained later).
Further, a weight measurement unit capable of measuring a weight of an image visualizing agent container disposed in the image formation apparatus is provided within the image formation apparatus, and the consumption information is obtained by directly acquiring a change in weight of the image visualizing agent container by the weight measurement unit. Accordingly, the quantity of consumed image visualizing agent and its remaining quantity can be calculated.
Further, the consumption information is acquired at the time of turning ON and OFF the power to the main body of the image formation apparatus, or of opening and closing a cover that covers the image visualizing agent container. Accordingly, changes in weight of the image visualizing agent container can be directly acquired by measurement equipment without being affected by vibrations or the like because the time mentioned above is the time when the image formation apparatus does not operate. Therefore, it is possible to calculate accurate consumed quantity and remaining quantity of the image visualizing agent. It is also possible to accurately calculate the consumed quantity of the image visualizing agent and its remaining quantity when the image visualizing agent container is replaced.
Further, by setting an error in calculation of the quantity of consumed image visualizing agent to be within 10%, it is possible to accurately calculate a charge for used image visualizing agent.
Further, by setting a recording unit for the quantity of developer consumption stored in the storage unit to a value of 3.1xc2x7X(mg) or less, it is possible to manage an error between the quantity of the developer consumption stored in the storage unit and the quantity of the actually consumed developer by suppressing the error within about 10% (Details will be explained later).
Further, when the jam of a transfer material has occurred, a computation unit performs a computation for not changing or decreasing cumulative consumption information for the consumed quantity of image visualizing agent. Accordingly, the cumulative consumption information for the developer consumed due to the jam of the transfer material is not added, which makes it possible to prevent the cost of the consumed developer quantity due to the jam from its being charged to the user.
Further, when the image formation apparatus is under maintenance, the computation unit performs a computation for not changing or decreasing cumulative consumption information for the consumed quantity of image visualizing agent. Accordingly, the cumulative consumption information for the developer consumed by the maintenance of the image formation apparatus is not added, which makes it possible to prevent the cost of the consumed developer quantity due to the maintenance from its being charged to the user.
Further, the charge determination unit determines a charge so that an amount of money for consumed developer becomes any value in a specified unit or more. Accordingly, a user or a service man needs not prepare many changes at the time of adjusting the charge, which makes it possible to reduce a load for charge adjustment.
Further, a display unit displays the cumulative consumption information stored in the storage unit or the charge for the developer calculated based on the cumulative consumption information. The value displayed on the display unit desirably shows the amount of money to be charged for the developer. Accordingly, when charging for the developer, the service man does not need to calculate an amount of money to be charged for the developer, and the user also easily checks the amount of money charged for the developer.
Further, the storage unit is formed with nonvolatile memory. Therefore, the information stored in the storage unit is not possibly destroyed due to a power failure or some other failures, which makes it possible to rigidly manage the charge for the developer.
According to another aspect of this invention, the image formation apparatus is provided. This apparatus can manage consumption information for image visualizing agent by the consumption information management apparatus according to the invention.
Further, the whole or a part of an image formation unit in this image formation apparatus is removable from the main body of the image formation apparatus as a separate unit with respect to the consumption information management apparatus. Accordingly, when the image formation unit is at fault, only the faulty image formation unit can speedily be replaced.
Further, the image formation unit is fixed to the main body of the image formation apparatus by a locking unit. Accordingly, for example, only the service man is allowed to operate this image formation unit, so that the security of the image formation apparatus is enhanced. As a locking system applied to the locking unit, any of the systems as follows may be used: a system of opening a door to operate the image formation apparatus using a key, a system of authorizing a person to reset using cipher, a system of verifying the rights to reset using finger prints or the like, and a system in which only the person allowed to operate the resetting unit can unlock the locking.
According to still another aspect of this invention, the service center determines a charge for developer consumed in an image formation apparatus based on the cumulative consumption information for the image visualizing agent sent from the image formation apparatus, and issues a bill, where the cost for this consumed developer is entered, to the user. Accordingly, the processing for adjustment of the charge for the developer is speedily performed, which makes it easy to manage billing for the image visualizing agent used in the image formation apparatus and collecting the amount of money.
Further, the image formation apparatus transmits again cumulative consumption information by a re-transmitting function of a cumulative consumption information transmitting unit when not receiving acknowledgement information after a predetermined period of time elapses since the cumulative consumption information is transmitted. Accordingly, the service center can surely receive the cumulative consumption information.
Further, on the service center, a charging unit does not charge for received cumulative consumption information when the same information has already been received. Accordingly, double charging can be prevented.
Further, the service center determines a charge for maintenance of an image formation apparatus based on the cumulative consumption information sent from the image formation apparatus, and issues a bill, where the determined amount of money for the maintenance is entered, to the user. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a bill where the cost for the developer during the maintenance while the user does not use the apparatus is entered, from being issued to the user.
Further, an ordering unit automatically orders the developer as necessary. Accordingly, for example, new developer can be ordered before the image formation apparatus runs out of the developer, which makes it possible to eliminate inconvenience, due to shortage of the developer for the image formation apparatus, brought to the user.
In this consumption information management system, the cumulative consumption information stored in the storage unit is transmitted by the transmitting unit of the consumption information management apparatus to the reception unit of the service center that issues the bill through a network. The amount of money such as the charge for developer or the charge for maintenance is entered in a bill based on the cumulative consumption information received by the reception unit, and this bill is issued to the user of the image formation apparatus. Accordingly, the processing for adjustment of the charge for developer or the charge for maintenance can speedily be performed.
Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.